A performance review is standard practice in most places of work and is a formal assessment of how you’ve performed over a period of time. Typically you’d sit down with your manager and measure your performance against set targets. You’d look at what has gone well, what you can improve on and finally agree some future goals to work towards.These types of appraisals are a formality of our working lives and are designed to keep us on track to succeed so why don’t we incorporate them into our personal goals?We’re now in the final quarter of 2022 meaning there’s just four months left to make this year count. Four months left to reach the goals we set ourselves at the start of the year.Most people will leave it until December to take stock of how the year has gone and what they want from the New Year, but doing this exercise now gives you more time, better perspective and perhaps that extra motivation boost that you need to get things done.Here are some tips and benefits of carrying out your own performance review:
Where to start: I always recommend that when you’re setting yourself a goal that you write it down and then break it up into smaller, manageable tasks so if you’ve followed this principle, now is the time to dig out that initial plan. If you haven’t done this, I’d highly recommend you start now as being able to reflect on how far you’ve come along with identifying challenges and set-backs along the way is really helpful in terms of long term success rates.
Reviewing your goals: When reviewing your goals it’s important to have a measured approach and notice the positives as well as the challenges so you can adapt your approach accordingly. If you just look at the positives in isolation it’s likely you won’t make any changes and whilst this might not stop you reaching your goal entirely, there could be a way to achieve a better outcome or reach it more quickly. Similarly, only noticing the set backs will have a negative impact on your outlook and could hinder your performance for the rest of the year.I like to follow four simple steps when reviewing my goals:
Evaluating your goals: A lot can change over a year which means if you’re not carrying out quarterly reviews of your goals, some of them may no longer align with your core values.Evaluating your goals is an important step to ensure the hard work you’re putting in is for the right reasons.There are some key questions to ask yourself during this stage of the review including:
It’s important that you answer these questions as honestly as you can because this is where you’ll be investing your time and energy in order to build a future you truly want.If a goal doesn’t align with your values any more, don’t be afraid to adjust it so it’s more relevant or remove it entirely.
Taking action: Once you’ve reviewed your goals, analysed your progress and made any necessary adjustments, the next step is to plan your next steps.If you’re a traditionalist like me and like writing things down, this is where I get a fresh page and start plotting my actions for the few months.Having this clearly set out, in bite sized, manageable tasks helps me to get focused and feel motivated rather than overwhelmed. Having everything written down is really helpful as I can remind my self of where I’ve come from, where I’m heading and my why.Planning, reviewing and working on your goals deserves recognition in itself. Self development isn’t easy, it’s an ongoing commitment but one which will ultimately take you closer to the person you want to be and the life you want to leave.Make the most of the last four months of 2022 and commit some time to working on your progress.If you want some more helpful tips for business and personal growth, follow me on social media.
Prior to starting his current business with UW, Derek dedicated 29 years to Primary Education, serving as a classroom practitioner, an Advisory Teacher for Information Technology, and ultimately as the Head of a Primary School until 2014.
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